Dying Light: Contact
by Sinniemon
Summary: This is the story of the Harran outbreak through the eyes of a United States Special Forces soldier.
1. Insertion

The door to the C-17 opened up to reveal the inky darkness of the Middle East night sky. A few fires spread out along

the meat of Harran city were the only main sources of light. A few buildings had power but mostly the citizens lived in

shacks without electricity.

I looked over the landscape and checked my equipment in the red light that was glowing behind me. When I was briefed

they warned me of the dangers of what were in Harran and then instructed me that I was to take a HALO insertion at

night in unfamiliar territory. I had studied the map before leaving and had a novice understanding of the landscape and

where I would be venturing to.

The zombie outbreak is a bit of a shock. It seems like this reality was only suppose to be on the cinema screen and not

right in front of me. In the short time before I was loaded onto this plane, I was instructed on how to deal with the

undead individually. I was equipped with a few suppressors for my P-90 and HK416 assault rifle. The main equipment for

my night insertion and to move around were night vision goggles and an Infrared optic for my NVGs. I was also informed

of these beasts that are fought off with the use of UV light. However, they had found out the flashbangs were more

effective at burning the inside of their eyes and rendering their attacks ineffective. Besides these I am loaded down with

my parachute, mask, food, water and ammo, and other supplies that might be useful.

My mission was to find a man code named RAIS. RAIS had officially gone rouge from an organization known as the GRE.

He has recently risen to a seat of power. My orders are to kill him or injure them. However, when my CO pulled me

aside, he personally told me to not bother bringing him back alive. He did mention that Rais was erecting an army, a

group of thugs that would do his bidding and run the zone. Apparently, even though the quarantine zone was sealed off,

people believe that jut still has to be dealt. That is where I come in. I am the hammer.

The door suddenly opened. The crew chief shuffled back towards me and motioned to the door. He followed with three

fingers. Three minutes to the drop. I stood up with all of my equipment clanking on my sides. I shuffled with my gear to

the edge of the darkness. It would feel great to get this pack off of me. It had been chafing me since the red sea.

It seemed to only take moments until the light went green and I found myself falling to Earth. It reminded me of my

first jump ever. The commander had to push me out the first time. As a matter of fact, he pushed me out twice during

my time in training. Its funny how far we come in life.

As I am falling I have weird thoughts. Some people contemplate life in the shower. I contemplate life while falling at

terminal velocity. What would be awaiting me when i hit the ground? Would I smack into a building? Was there a

mattress factory that I could land on instead? I doubt it, all of my jumps seem to end up with my ass on a rocky surface.

I took a glance at my altimeter and found that I would pull the chord in 5 seconds. I found the latch and prepared to

pull. The tiny beep of the altimeter prompted me to open the parachute. The large canvas opened in the rectangle shape

and stopped my fast decent. I looked out over the horizon at a good place to land. _SOCCER FIELD!_ I screamed in my

head. Thankfully there was a clearing in this massive city. No infected seemed to be near which would give me ample

time to get my chute off and get away from the site as soon as i could.

Again, the ground was hard as a rock and I managed my controlled fall as I had been trained to do. I hit the ground and

cut away from my chute. I cut off my reserve and put it in a buring bin nearby. The webbing was last and that too went

in the bin before i drew up my P-90. In the briefing I was instructed to aim for the head. Bigger was not better. It made

more sense to have a weapon that had 50 rounds in the magazine for the undead. The M4 was merely for hostile living

people.

I heard a huffing sound in the distance. It sounded like somebody that was out of breath. I raised my p-90 towards the

sound. Out of the shadows was the demon. It was the night hunters. These being were mutated zombies. I readied my

flashbang in case the hunter came at me. However, he sharply turned and walked in a diferent direction. I flipped my

NVGs down to see in the darkness. The darkness lit up into something that I could see. The infected, or zombies I guess

we would call them, were in small groups of 5 to 10. It was a very interesting matter that the zombies would seek out

and hang around other zombies. I would have to avoid the larger streets if possible.

I stayed just off the main road towards my first checkpoint. It was a safe house that was put in by the CIA when top

insurgent military targets were there. The safe house was locked and sealed tight for weeks now. It should be clear of

any infected. As I spotted the roof of the house I noticed a figure walking by the entrance of the house. The shadow

quickly darted out of sight. I spun myself up against the wall and aimed my P-90 down the street. The lazy lighting cast

large shadows. The shadow could be from up the street. The air around this city is making my hair stand up on my

arms.

I unlocked the safe house door and barged inside before quietly closing the door. I cut into a side hall way that led to

some stairs going down. A large steel door covered the downstairs basement. I punched in the numerical entry on the

keypad and opened the door. It was a headquarters with communication equipment and a small armory of weapons and

ammunition.

I sat in front of the comms and attempted to contact the main headquarters. After a few minutes of searching I found

the frequency. "This is Blackbird, I'm in the nest," I said through the radio. The crackled voice on the other side said,

"Roger that, sit tight and wait for further instructions, out," The radio clicked off. My insertion was successful.


	2. Surveillance

I would peek up through the peephole in the door to see if sunlight had peered through yet. It was important to get out and survey the surroundings to get a better idea of the scale of the situation. There were small maps of the area that were in the room. However, they would not do as good for this situation. Many details would have to be added. Where were the piled of infected. Where was Rais' outpost? How many soldiers does he have, does he have other outposts? The list goes on and on.

When the light finally broke through the blinds the comms system kicked on. "Blackbird, be advised, your targets location is still unknown, the 'eyes in the sky' have not fixed on his location." said the system. "Roger, I will attempt to do a manual observation of the city, maybe find some survivors," I said through the radio. "Reports indicate that you are suppose to be the only living thing in the city, but be careful, we have reason to believe the GRE is covering up something more, continue with observation and report any survivors as they are picked up, Nest out," the radio then shut off.

I prepared myself to step through the safety door. I went through the door and made sure to lock it behind me. I then walked up the stairs. I walked up another flight of stair to get to the second floor. There was binoculars and a few telescopes that I could use that were left behind. I picked up the binoculars and peaked out the window on the second floor. To my north was a large apartment complex with two large buildings. To the east was a soccer field that was partially out of view and blocked by debris.

Huts and shacks lined the areas between roadways. The overpass went right above most of the houses. To get familiar with the area would mean taking a step outside and walk around. This may sound crazy during the zombie apocalypse, but it was a must if I needed to know where to go. There were maps of the area but they only served as a rough view of overhead.

A flash of light caught my attention. The door at the bottom of one of the complexes opened up. Out of the door came three people. They were all running out and down the stairs. They jumped on top of the buildings and leapt between them.

The way that they wandered around the landscape reminded me of parkour team. There were many leaps and bounds over objects as they went. This must be how so many survivors are still alive. I admit that I am not as nimble as they are. However, I have more ammunition and weapons than the entire city of Harran most likely.

I walked back down to the safety door, unlocked it, and then locked it back behind me. I got on the radio to call up headquarters but there was no answer. I feel that it could be necessary to meet up with the survivors in the complex.

There was no answer. This would have to be my own judgment call. The fact that there were other survivors would mean that I could learn a lot more about the situation.


	3. The Tower

I took the first step outside. I looked right, then left, then back right towards the tower. I huddled onto the wall a the

people from the tower scurried over the rooftops above my head. I fastened the suppressor o my rifle and then walked

around the corner to the tower. The door was closed. I would have to either knock or kick the door down. When in doubt

always knock. There is a chance they may be friendly. If they aren't I always have my finger on the trigger. I ran up the

flight of stairs to the tower. I stood off to the side and knocked on the left door. I waited for a moment. I knocked again.

A British voice from the other side chimed in. "Who are you" he asked. "USA SEAL," I answered. "Okay, hold on a

second," he answered. Hold on a second. That was easy to do in a zombie apocalypse. I can hear the moans on the

street below me. The viral zombies, or the type that runs, would come up that walkway and tear me to pieces after a

door opened abruptly. "Get inside quickly," the voice said. I hustled my gear into the tower. The door was closed behind

me. "Good to see some help," said the man. I noticed his green camouflage pants and vest. "Harran Defense Force," I said to him. "At least I was," he answered. "I'm Sinjin," "Blake, you got balls, the volatiles are crawling around us." "Tell

me about it, my brief did not come with a big book of undead and how to kill them," Sinjin walked towards an opening

that was above a broken down flight of stairs. "That was the only way to keep it safe," Blake said as he lifted himself

up." How many are in this tower," I asked. "I have 6 soldiers, 64 civilians on multiple floors, we try to keep them

separate to contain a possible outbreak in the tower, Currently, we inhabit floors one, thirteen, eighteen, nineteen and

the roof," Blake answered. "I assume you have supplies, a medical doctor," I asked Blake. "Right, supplies are running

short though, we are relying on drops on antizen for medical supplies, Lena is our doctor," Blake answered. "Who is in

charge," I asked. "That would be Brecken, he runs the tower and gathers supplies from around town," Blake answered.

"I need to talk with him," I said to Blake. "I can take you to him, he's on the nineteenth floor," Blake said as he walked

towards the elevator.

As I walked, I noticed that people were staring at me. I got this a lot being a 6'5" statue but these people had a different

look. We rode up the elevator. "So, where is the rest of your team," Blake asked. "They sent me, I'm looking for a guy

named Rais," I told him. He looked at me with a stone face. "He is a bad guy, would like to see him dead," Blake

answered. "I'm looking to do that," I answered him. "Well horah to that," Blake exited the elevator and walked over to a

room labeled "headquarters" in black paint. Blake knocked on the door. "Brecken, we have a visitor," Blake opened the

door to a large room. Orange boxes were stacked up on the far wall. "Brecken, this is Sinjin, U.S. Navy SEAL," Blake

said. Brecken turned around very fast. "Holy shit, how ya doing Sinjin" Brecken asked." Good as can be, you in charge of

the tower," I asked. "Not by choice but I handle the stress, what can I do for you," Brecken asked. "I have a few things,

first, where can I find a man named Rais," I asked him. Brecken stopped in his tracks. "Rais huh, here I can show you

where he is," Brecken said as he walked over to the balcony. "Right there, his flag is flying. That is his

headquarters,"Brecken said. I took a look. It was over a mile and it was very windy. I couldn't take a shot from the

tower. That was to risky. "Are you looking to talk to him" Brecken asked. "Not my orders, I was told to kill him," I

answered. "He is very unpredictable, he uses the subway system to get around, and he is very good at seeking cover,"

Brecken said. "I have plenty of time to wait, I am here until the job is done, maybe a little while after as well," I said to

Brecken. "I have a map that you should look at before you go," Brecken said as he walked over to the table. "This map

has a mark of all of the safe houses and also where the major settlements are located, these places have between20 to

30 survivors in them, we are still the largest settlement," Brecken said while he panned over the map.

I took a picture of the map with my camera. "How about GRE agents, do you have any of those people," I asked him.

"We do have one, his name is Amir, he has been helping us as best he can," Brecken said. "Brecken," I said as I paused

for a moment to gather my thoughts. "My government has been led to believe that the GRE may be trying to cover up

something, maybe a file, some piece of intelligence that Rais might be in possession of," I said. "I see, that would

explain why most of the drops go his way," Brecken answered. "Tell ya what, as soon as Amir returns I will let him know

you want to talk to him," Brecken said. "So, I think that's all I need from you right now, if you need any help, my base

of operations is here in apartment block below the road," I told Brecken as I walked though the door. "We operate on

channel five as well, good luck," Brecken said. Blake followed me down the elevator and to the door. "Alright, I will be on

channel five if you need me," I said to Blake as he stood by the door to open it. I got myself ready to make a sprint back

to my apartment. "Roger, best of luck Frogman," Blake said as he opened the door.

The door opened and I rushed back out into the afternoon sun. It was imperative to get to the base before sundown and

there would be no pushing it. "I darted down the stairs and avoided one infected zombie that turned around to follow

me. I darted back into the alleyway to the apartment and barged inside. I locked the front door behind me and

maneuvered down to the base camp below. I looked over at the communication equipment. The red button was flashing.

Headquarters had sent me a message.

I sat down in my chair and listened to the message. It was normal updates. The weather, temperature, any changes in

the news, and things of that nature that would complicate my ability to complete my mission. I unraveled the map and

laid it out on the table. I marked the locations on the map from the picture I had taken. On my way out I noticed a van

in a small soccer field to the right of the tower. There had been reports of doctors who had set up shop in an effort to

figure out a cure for the infection. The van looked similar to a CDC trauma van. I also have a vague location of Rais,

taking a shot at him would take time and patience. Not only would I have to take the shot, but also I would need to stay

undetected.


	4. The Daily Struggle

I woke up just as the sun was about to break over the horizon. Not one second later, the radio I had set on to channel five was a buzz with activity. They were sending scouts out over the city in case the supply drops by the GRE would be farther away from the tower. Until such time as I could get into contact with headquarters, I would have to help the survivors get the food before Rais' thugs did.

It was strange that communications were out. I sent a message to headquarters that the communication was an issue and to instead make calls to the SAT phone I was carrying. I had it set to vibrate before I took a step out into the morning sun. It was still brisk and I could see patches of dew where there was grass. I had picked out a few buildings that were tall enough to give me coverage of the area that the drops would be in. I could not use the tower because of the civilians I could be endangering.

Even informing Brecken of the support could be detrimental to the mission. Someone could knife me in the back if I gave away my positions ahead of time. My first hide was a concrete structure that had been gutted out for demolition. The bottom level had infected. However, there was a ladder I could use to get above the horde and clear out a room several floors up.

I moved up to this position and climbed the ladder. I drew my pistol and shot the two zombies that lingered in the room. I also peeked into the main room and found it to be clear. I sat my pack towards the edge of the floor and laid behind it. I got up for a moment to zip tie the door behind me shut. The drops were scheduled in two hour intervals. I would not be able to cover for the last drop at dusk because of my distance from base camp.

There were also night drops that were more infrequent that I could not take part of. However, this would be a start. I waited for what seemed like days. I took notes on other hides I could use. I also ranged Rais' main camp. I was at the edge of my range for my Barrett rifle that was stored in the TOC.

My P-90 was laid beside me. I left the 416 back at base. The P-90 would be better given the close quarters alleys that I would have to track through. The Barrett rifle's suppressor was large. I had to take that into consideration so that nobody could see the barrel overhanging the building.

In the distance the sound of airplane engines could be heard. Channel five on the radio was going berserk. The scouts were trying to get to the drop before the thugs did. I had full view of the drop that landed on the overpass. Brecken's scouts made it to the drop. A van with Rais' flag painted on the side came from the far road going to the overpass. He was closing in on the group.

I slowed my breathing and sighted in on the driver. I lightly pressed against the trigger until it fired. The bullet travelled through the glass and head of the driver. The vehicle swerved to a stop. "Attention runners on the ground, get the antizen and get away from the kill zone, I will cover your escape," I said into the radio. "Who is this" asked one of the runners. Brecken barged in on the radio. "Runners, get the antizen and get the fuck out of the way," Brecken said. Two thugs emerged from the back of the truck. I fired again. The first guy fell into a heap. The second guy went back behind the van. I could see his feet shuffling on the left side of the van. I fired again. The bullet went through the van and connected with the third enemy. At this time the scouts were leaving with the antizen.

"All enemies down, you are clear," I said into the radio. "Roger that," Brecken answered. "Be advised, I am packing up and heading home, see you next drop" I said into the radio. I had to change positions so that I wouldn't be found out. "Roger that, thanks for the help," Brecken said back through the radio. I fast roped down from the position and followed the route back to the slums.

* * *

I made it to the tower and went up to the headquarters to speak to Brecken. I admit that I have mixed feelings about the current situation. On one hand I am here to help the survivors, however my main objective is to kill Rais and gain evidence of the GRE cover up.

I opened the headquarters door where Brecken and another individual were standing in the middle of the room. "Sinjin, this is Amir, the GRE agent I was telling you about," Brecken said. "Brecken stand by the door, I need to talk with Amir alone," I said to Brecken. He left the room. "Amir, I need to know what you know about the GRE," I said to Amir. "What exactly, I do not know much," he answered. "My government is under the belief that the GRE is hiding something from the public and world leaders, I am also told of a file that may be connected to them that may be in the possession of Rais," I said to him. "First off, Rais is, or was, a GRE agent, that could mean that he had access to certain files that tipped him off, that is the only thing that I know of, I was in contact with the GRE but my Sat phone fried out of the blue one morning," Amir answered. The door swung open and a small female came in. A face that I had recognized all over the city, Jade Aldimir, was at the tower. "Amir, we have to go, there is a parachute in the sky," she said to Amir. "Drop," Amir said. "Not this time, It's a person," she said to him. They rushed out of the room quickly. Brecken walked up to me. "We can see it on the roof," Brecken said as he led me up to the top floor of the tower. I caught a glimpse of the parachute to the east and set up my Barrett M107 on the ledge. Jade and Amir were coming up from a side road. The person hit the ground and hesitated to get up. A group of Rais' thugs surrounded him.

"Distance 1800 yards, breeze west to east, angle 25 down, six clicks hold four up," I whispered to myself. The person on the ground pulled out a pistol and shot two of the thugs. In the distance I heard screeching noises. "Runners," Brecken said to me. Jade and Amir were almost there when the first runner appeared and bit the person on the ground. The person shot the zombie and started to run when Jade and Amir got to him. I started to shoot at the runners. five or six were shot before they ducked into a building blocked from my vision. "Tell them they need to get back into the open so I can cover," I yelled to Brecken. When they emerged it was just Jade and this new individual.

I shot the runners that were catching up to them. They made it into the tower and made it to the headquarters where we met. They had taken this newcomer into a room where he was unconscious. "Amir is dead, he held up the zombies for us to escape," Jade said to Brecken. "Why didn't you kill those zombies," Jade yelled at me. "I cant shoot what I cant see," I answered her. "Useless," she yelled at me again. "Well, in that case I will just kill Rais and go home, listen here, I don't have to help you, you people are secondary objectives," I told her. "Let's settle down," Brecken said to us.

"Who is the new guy," Brecken asked Jade. "I don't know, he has a SAT phone with him, he might be military or government agency," Jade answered. "He might be GRE as well," I told them both. "Right, well until he wakes up we won't know anything," Brecken answered. "I will be at my shack, I am on channel five," I told them.


	5. GRE agent

I made it back to the safe house and found a message on the communicator. It was the headquarters again. They had picked up a high altitude plane over Harran. It had GRE markings on it. It was too high to be an air drop. At that moment I knew that this person was a GRE agent. It also spoke of a file that Rais had taken from the GRE and holding for ransom and safe passage out of Harran. The file was of an expected cure for the virus or something that was incriminating to the GRE. The file would have to be intercepted so that the UN could try the GRE for peacetime crimes against humanity.

I radioed in headquarters. This time I received an answer. "Blackbird, report current situation," said the radio. "I have a map of survivors all over Harran, the largest of which is the tower, the other locations are scattered around, two are near water, one is at the Harran Market, as well as a few smaller settlements," I answered them. "Roger that, satellite imaging confirms that survivors have been spotted by NASA, the director of NASA is scheduled to have a meeting with the President this morning," They said through the radio. "What is the situation around getting the drops closer to these points," I asked them. "We are currently working off the radar to get those supplies closer to the survivors and away from Rais, hang tight on that," they said. "Roger that, still no sign of Rais, I have the feeling he knows that I am here," I told him. "Roger Blackbird, maybe this will send him the message, continue with the mission, out," the radio shut off.

I sat back in the chair and began to refill my magazines and clean my weapons. It was during that process that I heard a distress call. "Attention, we made it to the night drop but are dealing with many infected, Khaled is gone," said the voice. "Brecken, where are you," I asked into the radio. To the east, on the other side of Zere's camp," he answered. "Tell Zere to put his head down, I am bringing the heat," I said as I flipped my Barrett over and snapped the lower receiver to the upper.

I made it to the roof of my building and looked across the soccer field to where the drop was. I fastened a night scope in front of my day scope. "Brecken, tell Zere I am coming over, I need to borrow the top of his rig," I said as I switched to my P-90 and jumped to the other roof.

I monkeyed down to the street and made it to the soccer field. "Friendly," I yelled in the compound as I climbed the fence. "I need a boost to the top," I told one of the soldiers. One of them came up to me. "What's your name," I asked him. "Spike," "Spike, I need you to boost me up," I told him as I got ready. Spike shot me up to the roof of the rig. I had to stand up to have a clear shot at the area. "Brecken, I see you, get that shit and come on," I yelled into the radio. I took out a viral inches from Brecken. Brecken grabbed the vials and stuck them in his pack. Brecken was pushed out of view by something that seemed to dart across. I shot the blur and hit a strange looking fast infected.

"Brecken, you okay," I said into the radio. There was no answer. "Blake, Brecken is in trouble, can you see him," I asked. "Yes, he is against the wall, he is not moving," Blake answered. "Listen, get on the upper floors and cover me," I told him. I jumped down. "Spike, get on the gun, I already ranged the shot, just point at what you want to hit," I said as I gave him another magazine. I jumped over the wall and onto the street. The flare from the GRE crate was still illuminating. "Blake, I am 400 yards from the site, are you in position," I asked. "I am, I cant see anything outside of the flare, I am going to pop UV flares for you, it takes the hunters away," Blake said. "When I say, pepper the site with lead," "Brecken if you can hear me, get to cover, I am coming to get you," I said as I ran on the rooftops towards the site. "Blake, I am 100 yards out, pepper the site," I yelled at him.

I got off the roof and hit the floor. The UV flares streaked across the sky over the site. I single fired the P-90 to get the stragglers that were trying to grab me. I made it up to the sight and looked for Brecken. I saw him slumped in the corner wall. "Brecken, It's Sinjin, can you get up," I asked. He did not respond. "Guys I am coming back," I said through the radio. "Brecken is not responding, he has a wound to the head," Lena, the doctor, radioed back. "Bring him to the tower, I will meet you in the lobby," she said. I swung Brecken over my shoulder and used my p-90 with one hand. "Blake, anything behind me, get them," I said. "Got it, I see you," he answered.

I went up the stair and got past the soccer field when Jade met me. "How bad is it," she asked. "I don't know, I hope he doesn't bleed out on me," I told her as I hustled up the stairs to Lena, who was waiting with a stretcher. "Gash to the head," I told her as I laid Brecken down on the stretcher. "Okay, I will take it from here," she said as she pushed him to the elevator.

Blake was on the lobby floor. He was breathing heavily. "Man, I haven't seen action like that since this started," Blake said to me. I held out my hand to pull him up. "Man, it's time for a change," I told him. "When Brecken wakes up, tell him that I am working on getting those drops closer to the settlements," I told Blake. "That would do a lot of good," Blake answered. Spike walked up to me. "I guess you want this back," Spike said to me. "Thanks, I got some weapons at the safe house, stop by tomorrow and I will give you what I can," I told them as I took my Barrett.

"Listen, it's not safe to go back, the night hunters are all over the place, I got a spare room in the guard barracks," Blake said to me as he motioned for the elevator. "By the way, that guy woke up a little before dusk, he set up the night traps before Brecken set out, he is at a nearby safe house," Blake said. "Well I have no reason to think he is hostile, not yet anyway, keep an eye on him," I told Blake. "Check, the room is over this way," he said as he walked through the elevator door.

There was a small bunk bed in the corner that was vacant. "I will see you in the morning," Blake said. "Yeah, anything happens call me," I told him as I rolled onto the bed.


	6. Paradise

I was awoken by the sounds of chaos. Through the doorway I saw Lena and Brecken talking. Brecken looked distant. A side effect from the night before. Blake ran into the room. "Sinjin, we need you," he said. I shot out of the bed and ran up to Lena and Brecken. "The floor below us, a person turned in one of the rooms, the infection is spreading, what do we do," Lena said as she looked to Brecken. She waited. Lena turned to Blake. "Barricade the stairs," she said. "Whoa Lena, let me go down there," I told her. "It is too late," she said. "Listen, I am going down there, I can save some," I told her. She nodded her head. "Blake, on me," I told Blake as I pulled out my P-90.

We flew down the stairs. There were shrieking noises up and down the two halls. "Take left, I got right," I told Blake. We split up and went down the hallway to clear the rooms. I came up to a closet door where some of the shrieks were coming from. I opened the door abruptly and pointed my gun at four small children. "Are you bit," I asked them. They shrieked no. "Get up the stair, let's move," I said as I went back to the door and watched them go up the stairs. I cleared the rest of the room and locked the door.

I went down the hallway, turned the corner and came face to face with five zombies. They had been feeding on a child that was now sprawled on the floor, his chest cavity exposed and rotting. I flipped my weapon to full auto and sprayed the zombies down. "Anyone in here," I yelled. There was no answer. Instead several zombies appeared from other spaces. I closed the door and left the zombies in that apartment. "Blake, Blake, let's go," I yelled over. There was no answer. I ran over to the far side of the floor and around the corner. There were ten zombies banging on a door. I sprayed my weapon again and mowed them over. I ripped the door open and Blake came running at me with his knife.

"Whoa buddy, I am alive," I told him. "My weapon jammed," he said as he picked it up. "There is nobody left, lets go," I told him as we ran back to the stairs. A coupled guards barricaded the stairway behind us as we jumped up the stair. "The kids were it, everyone else is dead," I told Lena and Brecken. Brecken still stood there lost.

"Brecken suffered head trauma, he is fuzzy," he said. "Kyle is on his way back if you want to talk to him," Blake said. "I have an idea, I am going to let these events play out, I want to see what his move is," I told them. This Crane person could be useful in gathering intel on the GRE's stance on the situation.

* * *

I waited until it settled down. It always seems so peaceful after dealing with a situation like that. Whether it was here, Iraq, some jungle in the Amazon, the moments after contact are peaceful. I had heard Brecken and Mr. Crane talking. I heard the smashing of a tv set but all seemed well as I walked by and saw their discussion on the other side of the cracked door.

Kyle had left sometime while I was eating breakfast. I walked in to Brecken's room. He looked at me strangely. "We have no choice now, we need the Antizen, Crane is going to talk with Rais," he said to me. "Rais is not a dealer, he doesn't negotiate," I told Brecken. "You know a lot about him," Brecken said. "I read a file as thick as a Tom Clancy novel, this guy is aggressive and confrontational, he gets what he wants," I told him. We sat there for a minute. "Those children, those people down there," Brecken said. "Stop man, as many people coming through here, it is surprising that it hadn't happened sooner, now we just need to check on those we got left," I told him. "Right, Crane should be almost to the gate now, can you shoot Rais from here," Brecken asked. "We can give it a shot," I said as I started for the stairs to the roof.

We sat on the roof and looked towards the compound. "I count 5 guards at the gate, unknown inside," I said to Brecken and my microphone that records my conversations. "My issue is that I do not have a shot into the courtyard inside, if he goes in I cant kill Rais or save Kyle," I told Brecken. "This is tearing at my nerves," Brecken said as I scoped in.

Kyle went over the fence and into the compound. "Yup, I am blocked," I said to Brecken. "Fuck, well hopefully he has it covered," Brecken answered. "Rooftop compound, 5 guards, totals 10 outside, unknown inside," I said to Brecken. "There are so many, even if you could save him, the next guy would kill him," Brecken said. "My mission is Rais, if Rais shows his face, he is dead, if Kyle is in the way and gets hit, that's the way it has to be," I told Brecken. "That is fucked up," Brecken answered. "Rais needs to die," I said.

Crane appeared at the front gate and jumped over. He radioed Brecken. "Yeah...Radio towers...are you sure he will give us two crates...alright, please hurry," Brecken said during his conversation with Kyle. "Rais has him going around Harran to turn on the radio towers," Brecken said to me. "Huh that is interesting" I told him as I got up. "I cannot see Rais from here, I am packing it in," I told Brecken. "Right, well, good luck out there then, I hope you tag him," Brecken said as he walked away.

* * *

"Headquarters be advised, the tower has a lack of medical supplies to stave off infection, they had an outbreak on one of the floors, it is contained, request ETA on supply drops," I said into the communications center of the safe house. "Blackbird, your request is still being processed, ETA two to three days, they will have to make due until then, out," they said and then cut off.

I sat back in my chair and looked up at the white poster board ceiling. I had time to do a no shit assessment of my supplies. The weapons cash was for an underground network of rebels that used Harran for smuggling soldiers into nearby Libya. They were known as The Saviors. So far, none of them have come knocking on the door. I hope, for their sake, it stays that way. I am not open for business.

There was serious firepower stored here. The armory consisted of M16A2, G36, and G3 assault rifles, M249, M60, and a Browning .50 caliber machine gun, as well as an RPG-7 and a few LAW rockets, and a few pistols. The ammunition was spread out in two separate lockers on either side of the armory. Most of the weapons took 5.56 but the M60 and G3 took 7.62 and the .50 for the Browning.

The Browning would be useful if I could mount it either on a truck or near a defensive position if I knew where the enemy was coming from. Worse comes to it I can put on a 4X scope and snipe with it. A lot of tools. I just need targets.


	7. Supplies

I took time to study the map of Harran that Brecken got me. Getting a good memory of the map would make it easier to get around Harran without having to stop and pull out the map. One thing that I was interested in was the fate of the Harran soldiers on the bridge. When the outbreak hit the bridge, we lost contact with them. The rumor was the infection spread from Harran into Old Town through the Infamy Bridge. We lost contact with them at night. They had tried to use UV lamps on top of the bridge, but they failed. We could only assume that the night hunters took them out.

There was a medical tent where valuable information about the outbreak was kept. There may be even some progress towards a cure. That would be what I would do today while waiting for Crane to finish his job and get back to Rais' fortress.

I left the safety of the house and entered the street going towards the water. There was a fishing village nearby where some of the survivors were. I radioed Brecken to let them know I would be coming. I ran along the slums and dodge a few zombies before reaching the road that ran underneath the bridge.

To my left, I heard a banging on the door of one of the buses that had gone off the road. I ran over the door and kicked in a few times before it became unjammed. It swung open and revealed a zombie. This zombie ran towards me while hissing and yelping at me. In its eyes I could still see the soul inside. I shot a round through his head. With his commotion, more of those running zombies came rushing towards me. I started to sprint towards the gate of the fishing village.

"Fuck it," I said to myself as I switched to full auto. The 60 round beta magazine would come in useful. Behind me I could hear a herd of these running zombies as I saw the gate. The villagers were unprepared and women and children were running to cover as the guard on the gate fired his shotgun past my head and into a running zombie. at the gate entrance I turned around and sprayed my M416 into the crowd. I took out fifteen or so zombies before the gate was opened and I backed inside while shooting the remaining zombies before the gate was closed in front of me.

I pointed my weapon at the top of the gate for what seemed like hours. The zombies did not follow me. "Son, the virals won't climb the fence," he said to me. "We have an electrified fence that prevents them from climbing over."

I took down my gun. "Brecken was supposed to call you guys, I have an interest in what might be on the bridge," I told him. "Right, there is a boat at the dock that will take you to the service entrance, once we let you off, you are on your own," he said. "What if I need help," I asked him. He didn't answer and just kept walking away.

I took the boat across to the base of the bridge support. I opened the red door and locked it behind me in case any of these characters wanted to follow me. I monkeyed my way up to the top of the bridge support and opened the door outside. There was a section of the bridge missing when the tried to stop the infection. Through my binoculars I could see a small horde of zombies roaming around the tents. With them was what looked like a giant holding a piece of concrete rebar. I reloaded my weapon and zip lined to the other side of the bridge. From the corner I took out the zombies and began shooting this giant in the head. After several shots and a few close calls with his swinging concrete he fell over. I shot him again to make sure he would not get up.

* * *

After clearing the facility, I went to work looking for anything useful. There were plenty of medical supplies that could be used for the civilians. There was also an abundance of rotting bodies and dead soldiers. I took the ammunition and weapons and stuck them in the waterproof sacks that were used for the sensitive medical equipment. I stuck the medical supplies in another pack and went to the side of the bridge. The only way off was to jump. From this height, one small wrong move would mean death. I tossed the sacks over and started to climb down the concrete rebar that was petruding out of the exposed bridge. At 50 feet I let go and relaxed my body as I hit the water. Once I surfaced I grabbed the sacks and made it to the shore.

I was greeted by some of the survivors that were in the fishing village. "How many do you have here," I asked them. "20," one answered. I rationed out twenty medical supply kits for them. "That was found on our territory, it should all be ours," said the leader of the village. "We have many settlements around, there is plenty to go around," I answered. "What gives you the right to make decisions," he said as he went for more supplies. I pinned him to the ground while pointing my sidearm into his temple. "That is my authority to make decisions, the fucking gun, and the fucking flag on my arm," I said as I took the bags and went towards the gate.

* * *

Back at the tower, I gave Blake the bag of weapons and medical supplies. "See to it that it gets passed out," I told him. "Check," he answered as he got his group to distribute the supplies. I saw Brecken pass by and tried to catch up to him. "Brecken listen, I found a few USB memory sticks at the checkpoint on the bridge, if you can give these to Zere, it could be useful," I said to him. "Right, I will see it gets done," he said as he walked away abruptly. Lena walked up to me. "Rais is making Crane collect payments for protection at the villages, I need the antizen, but this seems like we are getting no where fast," she said. "Okay, do we know of any quarantine areas, pharmacies, anything that may not have been looted yet," I asked her. "None that I know of, but there was a quarantine zone in one of the train tunnels, if you follow the tracks to the wall, there should be a quarantine around there, maybe there are supplies," Lena said to me. "Right, I will go there and see what is up, if I find anything I will call you," I said to her.

I walked back towards the entrance to the tower and checked my M416. I went out of the doorway and ran along the train tracks, past an abandoned train yard, and to the tunnel. To my surprise, Rais' men were standing out front. I hope they did not beat me to the antizen. I waited for a moment. It seemed that there was something wrong inside. The other guards rushed in through the door and closed it behind them. I walked my way to the door and waited by it for a moment. I did not hear anything. I cracked the door open and slid inside. Rais' men were on the bottom, unloading the crates of antizen off of a train car. I counted five outside and three in the car. There seemed to be no infected in the area as I pulled out a flashbang. I tossed it in the middle of the group and shielded my eyes from the blast. While they were dazed I took shots at them as I went down the stairs to the floor. Three dead, five to go. I peeked over a crate as they got up. I shot the other two outside and went for the door that had been closed up. I swung it open and shot the last three dead.

"Quarantine clear Lena, send some people this way for pickup, looks like three crates," I said into the radio. I tried to keep it as anonymous as possible in case Rais was listening in. "Got it, I will send...what...oh god close it up now," she yelled to someone in her room. "Lena, what is it," I asked her. "Another outbreak, 18th floor," Lena yelled. I monkeyed up a ladder and pushed out of the tunnel. I tossed a thermite grenade into the back of the van the thugs used to get here. It burned bright red as I ran back across the train yard towards the tower.


	8. Cleaning Up

I jumped up into the lobby where there were people standing around in the commotion going on above them. "I need the elevator to take me to the 18th floor," I told the guard standing by the door. "Lena has ordered that nobody is to go in there," he said. "I am here to save lives dammit, open the damn elevator and set it to the 18th floor," I yeeled at him. He got up and let me in the elevator. "Lena come in, I am in the elevator going to the eighteenth floor, what is the current situation," I yelled into the radio. "Sinjin, the floor has been blocked off, there is nowhere for you to get out," she said. "Fuck that Lena, I am going to clear out that floor, send black and his team down here, we will sweep it and clear it of any infected, out," I said as I powered off the radio before she could respond.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. The infected were walking around the halls. There did not appear to be any survivors. If there were, the zombies would be fixed on their location. I started to clear out the hall with my rifle as I came upon the first apartment. The door was closed. I opened it and closed the door behind me. I cleared out the room and went back into the hallway as Blake came out of the elevator. "Blake, we will clear these rooms, and kill all the infected, I mean wiped clean, we cant have infected one floor below us," I told them as we formed a wall in the hallway.

We cleared the floor within thirty minutes and did another sweep around just to be sure. Lena was still keen on keeping a barricade up. I went up the stairs and watched the barricade close behind me. I went into the headquarters and looked at Brecken. "I just wanted to save as many as possible," he said. He looked at me. For a moment I did not know what to say. "Brecken, I would've done the same thing," I told him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the TV switch to its snowstorm look. "What happened to the GRE signal, that was how we knew the drops were coming," Brecken said as he went over to the TV. I looked at the TV puzzled. The GRE just killed these people.

"Brecken, I am going to roof, I will radio my guys and see what's up," I said to him. I ran up the flight of stairs towards the roof. I took out my sat phone and punched in the code. "This is blackbird, I am at the tower, the GRE communications from the TVs just stopped," I said into the phone. "Roger, the Ministry of Defense has grounded all aircraft going into the area," they answered. "These people need the antizen drops command, if we do not get them. a lot of people are going to die," I said. "Roger, we are coordinating with the submarine Virginia to link up with you near the Infamy Bridge, we will get the antizen crates and supplies to you there, stand by for more information," they said as the line clicked off.

I ran back down the stairs just as Crane exited the headquarters. We looked at each other for a moment. "Kyle Crane?" I asked. "Yeah, you are the SEAL right?" "Yes," "Welcome to the tower" he said as he ran towards the elevator. That was an interesting conversation. He must be going somewhere.

I walked back into the headquarters and saw Brecken looking down at the, now broken, TV set. "Brecken, I can't tell you how, but I can get us Antizen, a little hint, it won't come from the air, when the time is closer I will need help bringing the supplies back here," I told him. "Keeping it under wraps, eh, I understand, we may have some snitches among us," he said to me.

"Anyway, Crane and Jade are going to a store house that Rais uses. Maybe we can snatch some up," Brecken told me. "Brecken, if Rais finds out, he could torch the tower and we could lose everything," I told him. "What choice do I have, either Rais kills us, or the infection does," he answered.

* * *

I stayed at the tower and cleaned my weapon. I made sure to clean it while I had the opportunity since it could be days or weeks between cleanings. The last thing I need is a jam in a firefight. I heard Jade come up the stairs and knock on the door. Brecken got up and answered the door. "Brecken, look at this," she said as she held out a rectangular object. "C4" Brecken said as he handed it to me. I looked at Jade. "What would Rais need with explosives," I asked them. "Guys, this is a way out," Brecken said to us. "Not exactly, if we blow a hole in the wall, we will be shot on sight, nobody gets out, not this way," I told them. They did not look like they believed me.

"What about that hive Rahim is always talking about, we could blow it up," Brecken said. "I have the blasting caps, but I don't have timers," I told them. "We have someone that will take care of that," Brecken said. "I will see where this goes," I left the headquarters room.

"Blake, I am going back to base, buzz me if you need me," I told him. I walked down the stairs and out of the tower into the morning air.

* * *

Back at base, I took the first real rest in days. Rais still hadn't shown himself to me. Given the situation, sitting on a hill to take the shot wasn't the best idea given the zombies are everywhere. I would need to pick a spot near the compound and fortify my firing position beforehand. Then, I would have to sit for hours, maybe days, before I could take a shot. My first shot would need to hit. If I missed him, I wouldn't get another chance.

All of this sunk in as I fell asleep.


	9. Zere

I was awoken by a thunderous explosion that knocked a few pens off of my desk. I quickly grabbed my P-90 and went to the roof to take a look. The hive was gone. They must've found the blasting caps somewhere else. I ran out of the safe house and towards the tower to talk to Brecken. It was getting dark, and the night hunters would be out soon.

I ran up the stairs and inside the tower. I went up the elevator to the headquarters. "Brecken, the hive," I told him. "I know, I know, I have to meet with Crane downstairs, we lost Rahim," he said. I never got to meet Rahim, but it seemed like he was a major part of the tower. He walked past me to the elevator. Blake stood by the elevator. "Rahim is Jade's brother," he said to me.

I heard some faint popping noises from one of the windows. As I went to the window there was a large explosion. "Fuck, it's Zere's compound," Blake said as he ran to the window. I pulled out my fast roping equipment and slung the rope over the side. I harnessed myself in and clicked on to the rope. "I'm going down this way, get some men on the ground to push them back," I told him. "Got it, I will get my men and meet you there," he said as he ran toward the guard shack. I jumped over the ledge of the window and repelled down, walking down the side of the tower. I shot my P-90 at targets I could see as I got closer to the ground. It was almost dark. Those night hunters would be all around that facility at any moment with all of the commotion.

I hit the ground and detached. I tugged on the rope and it fell to the ground. I left it behind and slid down the hill towards the compound. On the rooftop, I could see Crane getting in on the other side of the compound. I entered through the large hole in the fence. The first soldier ran at me with an axe and I shot him down. A second soldier shot one round by my head and I connected with another bullet. I could see Brecken on the other side go towards the door of the trailer, but he stopped.

From behind me I heard the most screeching howl I have ever had rung through my ears. I spun around to find a night hunter rushing towards me, mouth open. I gave the night hunter's head five rounds before it fell to the ground, dead. Another night hunter darted past me, trying to get to Crane. However i legged it and had it trip into the corner of the compound. I shot it until it stopped moving. I saw Blake's team out of the corner of my eye entering the compound. They created a protective perimeter while i searched around for clues as to where Zere was.

"Sinjin, Rais has taken Zere," Blake yelled at me from the other side of the compound. I ran back to them and we made a controlled withdraw back to the safety of the tower.

In the lobby, I looked around for Crane. "Where is Crane," I asked Brecken. "He is on his way to Rais' Garrision, that is where Zere was taken," Brecken said. "Those guys are a serious threat, he needs help," I told him. "I am not going to risk anyone else to go out there and get killed at night," Brecken said. "Well, you don't have to risk me," I said to him as I reloaded my P-90. I would have to make a quick stop by the safe house to grab my Barrett. There was a brick building 400 meters away that I could see down into the garrison.

I sprinted down the middle of the street with zombies growling and brushing up against me. I quickly opened and shut the door behind me, and went down the stairs to grab my rifle and Night Vision. There was a message on the recording. "This is HQ to Blackbird, the mission is a go, ETA 0400, LZ under infamy bridge, containers will be on inflatable Rib boat for transport," I radioed back to HQ. "This is Blackbird, acknowledged, in hard contact with Rais' army, Dr. Zere has been taken hostage, on route to provide fire support until BINGO on time to get supplies," I said into the microphone. "HQ, acknowledged, be advised, Zere is top priority, he is only one of two scientists inthe area, he needs to be alive," they answered. "Roger that, Blackbird out," I said as i grabbed my combat webbing and pack.

I left the safe house an went towards my firing position. When i got there i closed and barricaded the only entrance to the building. I went up to the third floor and set up my weapon on a desk inside the window. I checked to make sure my barrel wasn't sticking out, and switched muzzle breaks so i wouldn't produce a flash. When I sighted in, Crane was getting shot at by the guards in the compound. He was swinging from ledge to ledge, trying to get inside through the rooftop entrance, I shot my first round into the compound and blew the torso off the first target. I shifted my weight towards te second target and repeated the process. Within two minutes I had downed 8 soldiers as Crane entered through the roof. "Hey Crane, i cannot see you inside the compound, you are on your own," I said into my radio channel. "Got it," he replied.

From the outside, I saw vehicles closing in on the front gate. They must've heard that Crane was in there. I switched windows and tagged the driver of the first vehicle, making the entire convoy stop. The secret was, I had night vision, they did not. When they tried to take cover, there was no escape. I shot two through walls, a third through the van door, and another while he was sprinting to the other side of the street. I kept scanning that area to make sure no more were moving around.

"Crane, I'm displacing, good luck," I said into the radio. I bolted down the stairs and made a straight shot for the water. I hopped up and over the gate while some people were asleep through the commotion. I put on my rebreather and entered the abyss. I could hear the faint sonar pings of the Virginia as she got closer. Two Frogman with flashlights greeted and helped unload the supplies into a boat.

Just like that, the submarine was gone. In and out and nobody noticed a thing. I drove the boat back to the dock. Blake and his soldiers met me at the dock. "I don't suppose you just found these," he said. "Never underestimate the Navy son," I told him as we loaded the supplies into the truck. We would have to make the trip back at night. Blake drove and the rest of us huddled in the back to cover the truck.


	10. Payback

We rode into the darkness with a couple spotlights to light our way. We also fashioned one light with a large UV bulb to fend off the night hunters. As we drove through the many side streets we came across a lot of infected that followed our truck aimlessly. A few virals were shot dead as they approached.

To my right, one of the soldiers was frantically firing in the air. When I looked up I saw a night hunter jumping down from the roof. We aimed the spotlight on him and he fell short of the truck. A few bullets ended his suffering. We turned onto the street to the tower. Brecken and a few runners were standing under the UV lamp that we would park under. It was at that moment that the truck began to sputter and almost did not make it to the UV lamp. We pushed the truck the rest of the way and Brecken's runners started unloading.

"Ballsy," Brecken said to me. "Necessary," I answered. "We lost contact with Crane, I think Rais has him, more than likely, he will be in the pit," he said. "The pit," "Oh right, Rais has an arena where he has people fight the undead, it never turns out well for the human," he said. "So, Rais' men watch?" I asked him. "Yes, his whole outfit," Brecken answered. "Blake, do you smell ambush," I asked Blake. "Think about this, they have greater forces, we have a better understanding of the terrain, we can hit them the entire way from the pit to where they hold up, we would have to use recon to see where they come from and hit them just as they split up," I told Brecken. "It is likely that they will attack us, and we pull back," I told them. Everyone stood silent. "The more of the herd we thin, the easier it gets, plain and simple, my way of getting supplies cannot be done all the time, we got to kill his men," I said to them.

"Right, Blake, rally your men, we meet back here in an hour," Brecken said. "Hopefully you got firepower mate," Brecken said to me as I walked away.

* * *

I went back to the shack and gathered the M249 SAW from the armory. I also packed a few grenades. With all of this ammo I walked back to the staging area around thirty minutes early to work out the plan. Brecken, Blake, Jade and I stared at a map of the pit and the surrounding buildings. "There are two top exits and two lower exits underground, they use the old sewer system to sneak around, those are here and here," Brecken said as he pointed to the areas on the map. "Do we have anymore explosives," Blake asked. "Two charges remain," Brecken said as he turned to the corner of the headquarters. "We set the charges and cave in the sewer, then they can only come through the top exits," I told them all. "My concern is daylight and surprise, Blake, you will have to set those charges inside the sewer, that way they could believe that it was normal wear and it caved naturally," "Right, love the sewer," he answered. "When the come out of the top exits, don't fire immediately, wait until they flood the area, then let loose, I will cover one of the exits," I said to them. "Jade, that's where I need you, you are going to cover the flanks, and take out any stragglers that make it over the rubble," I said to her. "Got it, lets get this done already," she said to us. "Alright, rally the men, we need to split up and take positions in the houses around the pit before daylight," I told them.

We split up. Blake would regroup with me when the men were in position. I set up the bipod for the saw and waited as the sun rose overhead. Just as we were about to give up, there were tremendous explosions that sounded like RPG fire inside tlhe building. I saw the trail of one of them shoot skyward and soon, small arms fire began to erupt. It was at that moment that Blake came back. "Ready to blow the charge," he said. "Do it now," He push the button the explosives detonated. "Alright, everyone get ready," I said to them.

The door opened and a man came running out. "Hold fire, it's Crane," Brecken said. "Fire on my mark," I shouted into the radio. I cocked back the charging handle and let it spring forward. The door opened again and Rais men were close behind shooting at Crane. An RPG flew by the hut just over my head. "Fire," I said into the radio.

A sea of lead was exchanged by both sides. I could feel my shoulder get numb from the recoil of the weapon. I fired in short burst and tried to cut down as many as possible. Crane kept running back to the tower and we cut off the pursuit. "Okay, we've been here too long, fall back," I said to Blake as he gave the word to retreat back to the tower. We stayed covert and out of sight. Rais wouldn't know the difference. Maybe he would think it was "The Saviors" that shot at his men. Even then, the tower would be a likely target.

We fell back to the tower and got inside. We waited for the onslaught of soldiers. However, Rais' men did not come. The plan might've worked and Rais thought it was another group. Even then, we looked out and waited for what seemed like forever. Finally, we let off and turned in for the night. Everyone seemed to be tired.

* * *

Brecken came up to me after a while. "Where is Crane, I haven't seen him," he asked me. That was odd. I saw Crane leave the scene just after the firefight started. "Jade is taking the research to Doctor Camden, we don't think Zere made it, but we aren't for sure yet," he said to me.

It was daylight. Rais' men were flowing out trying to find Crane. If Crane hadn't been picked up already, it would only be a matter of time. We would need to get to him first. "Let's go get him," I told Brecken as I stood up and left my pack in the tower. With only my combat webbing and spare rifle that I picked up, we left the safety of the tower looking for Crane.

It was safe to assume that he would be on his way back to the tower. There were a few safe houses on the way that he might've snuck into. We started towards those and cleared them out trying to find Crane. From above, Brecken spotted something on top of an unfinished flat that was under construction. He did not say anything to me, but started jumping over buildings to get there. On the ground, I followed him towards the flat. Brecken had lifted Crane on his head. "He is infected, he had a seizure," Brecken said.

Brecken slung Crane onto his back. "There is a pier close by. We can stuff him in there until he can move," Brecken said as he led the way. I covered his movements and after a few close calls we made it to the barge. A few of the tower dwellers were present. Brecken opened one of the containers and put Crane inside.


	11. Contingency

Crane awoke some time later. Brecken went In to talk to him. He closed the door behind him. Crane got up and left a short time after. Brecken was silent. "He is going somewhere," I asked him. "Sector 0, old town," Brecken answered. "The saviors have an underground system that they use to ferry people between the towns, Crane is going to find Jade and get the sample to Camden," Brecken said.

"So, Camden is it now, he is the only one left," I said to Brecken. "Yes, he is it, and he is stuck, he flooded the lab with infected so that Rais can't get to him," Brecken said to me. "Also, there is a bounty on someone, I think Rais is beginning to believe that an outside force is working in Harran," Brecken said to me. "He has no idea, I would like to bring my armory here, maybe all of my stuff from the safe house, I feel like it would be more useful here," I told him. "I will get Blake's men on it," Brecken said. I would like to clear out one of the floors to put it in, kind of like a Tactical Operations Command post," I said to him. "That would make the tower a target," he said. "Look, Rais is out of the slums, the Garrison has been deserted, he's moving to Sector 0, I won't have a shot on him for a while because of the situation, he will stay low," I said to him.

"His main base is this castle, it is a museum, or was a museum, one entrance is blocked by water, the other entrance is the main gate, that is heavily guarded," Brecken answered. "Can I get a shot from the bridge," I asked him. "That might be the only place you will, you are looking at a mile shot though," Brecken said. "Crane cleared out a safe zone at the top, you can crash there during the night, it is stocked with food for seven days, no one has used it in a week," Brecken said to me.

"I will probably be a couple of days. here is the PIN for the lock, rip this up when you are done," I said as I gave him the piece of paper. "Right, we will clear the 18th floor and set up," Brecken said to me. I left my M416 in the room and took my Barrett and P90. With the Barrett on my back and the P90 firmly gripped in my left palm, I left the safety of the tower once more. I went through the fishing village and up through the service hatch to the top of the bridge. It was mid day and hot. The concrete radiated heat off of it. I laid a white blanket over the concrete and laid flat on it. I looked over the water into old town.

The museum was a prominent structure. It sat on the top of a hill with a cliff on the other side. The front gate was barricaded with spikes and sentries had their rifles snaked into the tiny slots that were once used for arrows. It was no doubt that this was where Rais was holding up. It seemed like the infected knew as well. There was a surprising lack of volatile and zombie activity. The quarter mile road led straight into old town. The streamers that were set up for the upcoming Olympic Games were still fluttering in the wind. In the town center, the normal cobblestone walls and floors had structures and scaffolding as the event staff was in the process of building a platform for a concert.

It was truly a sight to watch a place like this slowly die. Just like the people that lived in it, the shops slowly lost their fruits and vegetables, houses lost their paint and had streaks of dark red blood on them. Windows were boarded up. Flowers that lacked water died.

I could see a radio station. It had the flag of Rais draped down the near side. That must be one of the barracks for his soldiers. I took note of that. Maybe I could take the building down with them inside. What I would give for some C4 around here.

* * *

It had turned dark during the time I was surveying. I had completely lost track of the time. Night Hunters were walking around on the bridge below. Behind me, I could hear the UV lamps of The Infamy Firewall. It was suppose to stop the spread of the infection, namely the hunters. However, when the grid failed the Harran Air Force had to blow the bridge.

It was time to bunk in. I had all of the information I would need for the shot if it took place. At some point it would make sense to enter Sector 0 and get a real lay of the land. There were many more survivors in old town, many more camps. That was more people with an uncertain future. Women, children, all of these people in a nightmare they can't escape.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of my encrypted radio. Headquarters was trying like hell to get up with me. "Blackbird, be advised, the infection has spread out from Harran to the nearby countryside, Harran Army Forces are trying to contain the situation but at this moment it looks like the efforts will fail, they will be closing the secondary and tertiary gates momentarily," they said to me. "Any other news, over," I said. "We have picked up a small radiation signal, possible nuclear device is in the area, will keep posted." they said. The radio clicked off. "Holy shit," I said to myself. The ministry of defense is thinking above nuking the whole area.

I walked out of the door to the early morning air. Above my head were fighter jets making low fly overs. The ministry of defense was showing their power. This could mean that they are going to bomb Harran and Old Town. With so many survivors in the city, many of them would fall victim for no reason other than hysteria. That couldn't happen. Not while I am here.

* * *

I arrived at the Tower just as Blake was setting up the comms equipment. "It's all here," he said to me. "Blake, we got a problem, get Lena and meet me at Headquarters," I said to him as I went up to Brecken's room. "Brecken, listen, the ministry may be getting ready to bomb us out," I said to him. "I already knew that, we picked up their signal a few seconds ago, check out this video," he said to me as he pulled up the laptop.

The video was a propaganda news story made to look like the last survivor had been pulled out of Harran. "That's just bullshit, they are trying to cut their losses," I said to Brecken. "Crane is working on a plan to get attention, they will blow charges in an apartment complex in a shape the zombies could not make naturally," Brecken said to me. "The airdrops have stopped," Brecken said to me. "Brecken, the ministry of defense is taking measures to stop the spread of the infection, my government caught a signature of radiation in a small farming community not too far from here," I said to him. "They want to wipe us out," Brecken said. "They feel like they are saving millions of lives by doing this," I said to Brecken. "What can you do," he asked me. "I have a couple of portable SAM missile launchers, we can shoot down some of the planes before they carpet us," I said to him. "I don't want it to come to that," He said to me.

We heard a large explosion on the other side of the river. When we made it to the roof we could see an apartment building, set ablaze with a frowning face on the side. Before we could get excited, a jet came across and shot a missile, ruining our hard work. "Fucking asshole," I yelled into the sky. I rushed down to the 18th floor and grabbed one of the LAW rocket launchers in the armory room. I ran past Brecken, who tried to pull me down, and flipped up the rear sight to the rocket.

The rocket beeped as it acquired a signal, then the ping turned to a loud, continuous beeping. I pressed the button and the rocket shot out of the tube and towards the target. The jet tried to bank left and right to shake the missile, but it hit the planes tail wing and took a large chunk out of it. "Try explaining how zombies did that," I yelled to the pilot, who was trying to keep his plane steady as he went back to base.


	12. The Pit

I tossed the used tube off the side of the tower. Brecken stood there, trying to digest what just happened. "They can't deny it now, satellite feeds will see the con trail, and they won't have any choice but to admit they lied," I said to Brecken. Brecken did not say much. That was possibly the first time that action was taken inside the walls of the tower in a long time.

I went down to floor 18 to take inventory and make sure everything was there. In this conflict, actual missions outside are rare. To be honest, 85% of all of my time is spent checking weapons, making sure magazines are loaded, and checking equipment for the event that I need to pick them up quickly. Somewhere during that process I do sleep.

That is our disadvantage. Zombies do not sleep, but we get tired. Zombies are always just outside, trying to claw their way inside. I noticed a dead body on the 19th floor. His eyes were blood red. Someone must've turned recently and taken his own life right before. I wonder what that is like. One second you are human, and the next you just aren't. It seems like an f'd way to go. God there is way too much time to think these days. I miss the days where I just did stuff and somebody else was in charge.

Brecken knocked on the open door. "Hey uh, Lena said you had some extra bandages for my head," he said to me. "Sure, sit down," I said to him as I pointed to a chair and got out my medical kit. I took a disinfecting wipe an cleaned my hands off. "Sorry about earlier, this place is turning into a warzone by the minute," Brecken said. "Oh, that's alright, sometimes I think I am the reason why," I said to him.

"Brecken, it's Jade, she has been captured by Rais, Crane is on his way to the museum to save her," Lena said as she ran in. "Wait, Lena, when was the last time Crane had his suppressant," I asked Lena. "It's been five days, oh my, he's about to turn," Lena said. "Someone needs to let him know that," I said to Brecken. "Crane, Crane, this is Brecken, listen, you are low on suppressant, you need to find some antizen," he said into the radio.

There was no response. I got on top of the tower and took a look at the museum. A saw a glimpse of a man matching Crane going underneath the water. "He is alive, but what is he doing," I asked Brecken. "I have no idea, maybe another entrance," he answered.

I could not get into position to give him any support. Crane was on his own, for now. "Brecken, we cant help him from here, his is on his own," I said to Brecken. "He better live," Brecken answered.

* * *

I stayed on the 18th floor for a while. My silence was broken by Brecken rushing in to meet me. "Jade, she, she is dead, Rais killed her," Brecken said in rage. I stood up and tried to calm him down. "When the fuck are you going to kill him, are you going to wait until more of us die," he yelled at me. I did not say a word to him. What could I say to him. He was definitely speaking from his heart and not his mind.

"Crane killed Tahir and Rais went out the front door, he will probably be going back to his tower near the pit," Brecken said to me. I still did not say anything to him. Instead I took my rifle and set out towards the pit.

* * *

The pit was underneath a large high rise building that was under construction during the outbreak. A large flag with Rais' logo on it was draped down half of the tower. There was a couple entrances that he could use and I waited in a nearby building for his convoy to reach the pit.

It seemed like hours before I saw the band of yellow vans pull up. However, the sight that I was drawn towards was that of a betrayal. Rais was killing his own men at the base of the tower. I froze for a moment. Here was this powerful person, with all of the protection in the world, and he was killing them off, but why?

I shot twice towards Rais and saw him duck into the doorway of his palace. Even with all of that going on, the remaining soldiers fired at me. I broke cover and started towards the side door that was fortified with buses and fencing. I took out the few guards that were hiding in the buses and prepared to open the door.

However, I was stopped by Crane, who was vaulting over one of the buses. "Sinjin, I need to go though that door," he said. "What's the rush, I am going up there to kill him," I said to him. "He has Zere's research, he is about to jump ship via helicopter, I have to get the samples from him," he said to me. It was at that moment that more of Rais' men showed up. I reloaded my rifle. "Do kill him, I will hold these guys here," I said to Crane as I jumped on top of the bus.

Crane went through the door. I shot at the yellow vans that were approaching from the street. They stopped out of sight and the soldiers exited them.


	13. The End of Chaos

I got inside one of the buses and started firing down the hill at the soldiers that were charging up to come get me. Pretty soon, the infected nearby were drawn to the gunfire and the zombies started to battle the soldiers outside. I shot one of the soldiers just as a zombie came up on his side. He fell over, and the zombie fell on top of him. Virals could be heard screaming nearby. I backed off of the bus and positioned myself in the clearing towards the center.

I waited for the virals to scale the buses. I shot one bullet at the first and watch him jerk back off of the bus. A second one jumped over the barricade to my right and charged me. I dove out of the way and shot the viral in the head as he turned around for another charge. I had to keep my distance, close quarter combat is not as fun when you are dealing with a disease that kills.

More and more infected flooded the space just outside of this small barricaded entrance. Rais' men were stuck somewhere in the middle as they turned to melee weapons. I used this opportunity to switch to my suppressed pistol. I took a few shots at the men that were closer to me and let the infected finish them off. It was better for them to feed on them and not me. The commotion of fresh flesh would keep them occupied as it got quiet. Just a few moans from the infected arose. Then, there was a helicopter that came up to the structure. It hovered, very close as if to pick someone up, then I saw the faint silhouette of a body falling off the skyscraper, then the chopper flew away.

I entered the door to get closer to the body. What if it was Rais. What if it was Crane. If it was Crane I would stay here and put a bullet in Rais as he gets away. I have no time to fight fair, and I do not intend to. I intend to survive.

All of these questions and thoughts went through my mind as a mashed jumble as I got closer. I looked at the mangled remains as what used to be Rais. Crane had done it. He had killed the snake. The man of chaos was killed by chaos.

* * *

Crane caught up to me some time later. He had climbed back down the tower and told me about what happened. Rais was going to use the research as leverage to get out. That explained the helicopter. The GRE was desperate. None of that mattered now. My objective was complete even though I did not kill Rais. However, saving these people was worth way more than the scalp of one man.

* * *

It was a half hearted celebration at the tower. The dwellers talked about the end and what they would afterwards. Even though killing Rais did not mean an end to this hell, it certainly felt like a step in the right direction. Brecken was sitting on the couch and Crane was on the other side in a chair in the headquarters. Brecken motioned to me to come over. "Got a seat for you here," he said as he slapped the top of a stool to his left. "Rais is dead," Brecken said as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Now we only have the infected to watch out for, now, we are a united people working towards one goal, survival," Brecken said to me. "Unfortunately Brecken, nobody is leaving until there is a cure, it doesn't matter now if you are bitten or not, nobody leaves," I said to them. They sat back in their chairs, amazed at what I told them. "That doesn't include you," Crane said to me. "No, that includes myself too, uncle Sam wrote me a check for 1 million to stay until the situation is taken care of, that means, we all go home," I said to them.

"The antizen drops are going to be difficult, my government, well the United Nations, is going to make the GRE give up the suppressant so it can be made on a large scale, however until that happens, the drops will be rare, they will send us medical supplies and food on a large scale until then, now that they know where the settlements are, they will drop them much closer," I turned to Crane. "Crane, you need to get that research to Camden as quickly as possible, he needs to research and document his findings so that maybe, I can get an uplink of the data to the CDC in Georgia to take a look and start finding a cure," I said to him. "Camden is well on his way to finding a cure," Crane said in protest. "Crane, Camden can share the information he already knows to them with his research, that way the CDC doesn't have to take the long way around, and Camden doesn't have the facilities to make the cure on the large scale, I need the research once Camden can catalogue it." I said to Crane.

He nodded in protest. The CDC was still the best bet. If they could find a cure and mass produce it in time, that would mean a lot of people would not get infected. "There is an end guys, and it's closer than ever before," I told them both. "I will let Lena know that she needs to ration out the antizen, try to make it last," Brecken said. "Brecken, long term we need to think about quarantining the infected in the building, having an infected next to an uninfected is just an invitation," I said to Brecken. "Check, I will figure it out," he answered.

Crane got up. "I will search around for extra vials, Rais has a few crates left spread out, maybe I can find some more," he said to us as he left. "Rais had outposts in Old Town, radio station and an office building, maybe they will have some supplies in case his forces fled," I said to Crane. "Right, I will check those out," he said as he continued walking.

I turned to Brecken. "We need to start looking at a way out of Harran, at least to the secondary fences, those will be the first places to be cleared out," "I haven't heard anything, the closest farming village is on the other side of the dam, but there isn't a way to get across, they put wire fences all along the route," he said. "There has to be a way, I will look out for different intel to find out about a sewage exit or something," I said to him.


	14. The Following

_From here on out will be involving The Following DLC. Enjoy_

* * *

The next week was survival as usual. The supplies were running short while the United Nations tried to figure out how to take over the drop operation. Crane had cleared out the office and radio outposts and brought the supplies back. There was enough antizen for a couples of months, depending on who else got infected. Brecken had taken steps to try and quarantine the infected as much as possible.

I had found a few hazmat suits that were tear resistant for anyone who would go down there. My fear is that eventually it will be needed to take care of any infected downstairs.

We also had a strange encounter last night. One of the night hunters tried to scale the wall of the tower. Fortunately, Alfie's new light system stopped the hunter half way up. However, this was interesting behavior. A night hunter had never tried that before. Upon questioning one of the staff, she said she had heard the night hunter talking. She explained it as some kind of human like talking, but gargled and muffled.

The virals do this sort of thing all the time, however, it was strange for a night hunter to act the same way. I talked to Camden about it, but he didn't know what to make of it. He has never seen what one looks like. I am supposed to get a resupply for ammunition in a few days. I am hoping that they can smuggle some antizen in there as well. I have learned to be more reliant on melee weapons since I first got here. The loud gunshots draw the infected. The melee weapons would be useful for one or two infected with space to move.

We fortified the entrance to the tower with a fence gate with a small door that we could close at night, that meant one of the sentries that normally guarded the gate could be given the other tasks.

The barge that we stowed Crane on the other day was now clear to run people from the slums to Old Town. Families were reunited once again and it was a pleasant site, even though they couldn't leave Harran. There were a large number of orphaned kids in Old Town. The Embers had taken it upon themselves to pick these kids up and store them in their tower. However, it was growing crowded every day.

On a personal level, Blake and I had an encounter I will never forget. We had been on a supply run through the slums when we heard loud banging noises from inside one of the huts. When we kicked the door down, a father was shielding his daughter from a biter. The biter got him on the neck and he bled out before we could help him. The daughter was covered in blood but okay. That is a hard image she will never forget, neither will I.

My next step would be to clear out the military research facility on the Infamy Bridge to use as a staging area between Old Town and The Tower. Since Rais was no longer a threat, we could start clearing out larger safe areas and move around more freely. I would have to use a three rope bridge with harness to get people across. The problem being the loads of infected that are still on the bridge. However, not everyone can jump off the bridge and survive, or free swing up to the top of zipline down.

I sent out a message over the radio to anyone with a scientific or medical background to meet in the fishing village zone before we go up to the bridge. Hopefully this plan would be successful.


	15. The Camp

We would start our way up to the bridge in the morning so we would have enough daylight to complete the tasks. I had gathered 12 people who were willing to call the facility home. Three biologists, a neurosurgeon, four nurses, two general practice doctors, two medical engineers, and Alfie, who would work on getting the electric generators firing for the UV lamps.

Blake was positioned over top the tunnel that led to the bridge. He would use firecrackers to distract the infected in order for us to throw the three line bridge to the other side. Alfie and I would zipline across to the other side. One of the doctors would have to throw the rope assembly to us so we could bolt it in for them to cross.

Alfie and I got into position on top of the bridge. We held on to the zipline that would take us across the gap. "Fucken great morning," Alfie said to me. "First sunrise I've seen in days," I told him. Blake whistled to us. We ziplined down as he threw the first firecracker. The doctors dipped around the horde of infected that were blocking their side of the bridge.

Once we landed, Alfie worked fast to get in position. He carried a high powered rivet gun that would force a rivet into the bridge concrete. I stood behind him around twenty feet and waited for the infected to crawl out of the tents. The first one appeared as the doctors got in position to throw. I took my machete and cut through his head, clean. The doctor threw the rope and Alfie caught it.

I covered the doctors as Alfie fastened the wire ropes in place. Alfie watched them cross as I cleared out the tents of infected. Many of them had fallen off the bridge in their aimless wandering since I was here last time. I cleared out the rest and got the doctors set up in the tents. Alfie got the power on and all the machines started to light up. Alfie was fastening a couple of solar panels so that we wouldn't use gas. Then, he started to set up the defenses. A metal wire to cross wasn't for kicks. We could electrify it at night so any lucky viral couldn't cross. The UV lamps would take care of the rest.

* * *

I watched as my supply helicopter left the scene. They had dropped off some much needed ammunition, weapon parts, food and some smuggled antizen disguised as eye drops. I was asked if I wanted to go with them. My mission was complete, Rais was dead. It was just, Rais isn't the enemy. The enemy is death. Death by disease, death by bite, death by a random bandit, it was all the same. I couldn't leave these people, not without everyone being allowed to leave.

"I heard that they wanted you to get on the helicopter," Alfie said to me as night approached. "Yeah, what of it," I asked him. "I would give both testicles to get out, and you just said no," he said to me. Before I could answer, there was a message on the radio. "This is Ayo speaking, get to the nearest safe zone and wait until dawn, good night, and good luck," it said. "How do you feel about night missions," I asked Alfie. He grimaced at the thought. "It's suicide, nothing good ever comes out of a night mission, besides, all the drops will happen during the day, if they ever come," he answered me.

I pulled out one of the bags that was delivered. It was a bag of Night Vision goggles. "Can you make something that would recharge these," I asked him. "I suppose, not much good with all of the infected out there," he said. "Well with these we might be able to see them coming before it is too late," I said to him as I pulled one out and fastened it to the front mount on my helmet. I hadn't worn the helmet in so long, I almost forgot about it when I moved out here.

"So you are going to play hero at night," Alfie said. "It's what I signed up for," I said to him. "I should be alright, once I get across, electrify the bridge, I will radio you when I get to the tower, I am going to give some of the supplies to Brecken and the NVGs to Blake to pass out," I said to Alfie as I stood up. "Good luck mate," he said as he walked with me to the bridge gap.


	16. A Way Out

I went out into the inky blackness of Harran. In front of me was the well lit slums. Many of the runners had settled in the safe zones for the night. The rest were holing up in a slum and praying.

"Brecken, come in," I said over the radio as I found a little shack near the fishing village underneath a large cliff. "What's up mate," he asked me. "I am on my way back to the tower, are there any runners that got stuck between safe zones, I can pick them up," I said to him as I reached in my pack. I took out a flare and stuck it in my front pocket. "Doing a headcount now," he said as he paused for a minute. Hopefully nobody got stuck in between.

"Got no one out in the open so far, will keep you posted, out," he answered. I heard a commotion on the other end. "Scratch that, Crane has found a survivor, he has a really bad gash on his leg and torso, looks like bandits," he said to me. "Roger that, send Lena to me and I will escort to Crane's location," I said to him. "Crane is at the safe house that used to be the dump that sold the fake antizen, it's not far from the tower," he said.

* * *

"Lena, you armed," I asked her as we waited on the inside of the tower. Blake was getting ready on the roof with flares and a few flare guns to cover us from the night hunters. "I don't carry guns," she answered. "Take this," I said as I gave her my 1911. "No, I don't believe in guns," she said. "Lets cut the shit, dear, take it, or you ain't going," I said as I gave her the pistol. Brecken stood to the side of the door. I got ready in the doorway with Lena clutching my backpack loop.

"Ready," I said to Brecken. "Good luck mate," he said as he opened the door into the inky darkness. I walked out and started to jog with my gun raised into the black. Lena was not a runner like some of the tower dwellers so we would have to go around buildings instead of going over them. We crossed the walk bridge away from the tower and I took out a small group of zombies in my way. We peeled right at the fork in the road. A row of shacks blocked our route to the safe zone.

I turned left at the corner and came face to face with a night hunter. It had been hiding in the shadows away from the flares. I took several shots at his face and a few connected. Blake shot a flare right at our feet and the hunter was scared off. We jogged a little faster to the zone and climbed the van over the fence.

Crane was kneeling over the victim. He was still alive and communicating. He was holding a cardboard map in his hands. "What is that," I asked Crane as Lena knelt down to his side. Lena picked it up and looked at it. "He came from outside the city," she said to us. "That means..." Crane hesitated. "There is a way out of Harran," she said to us. I looked at Crane for a moment. "I will go," he said to us. "We don't know what is out there Crane," I told him. "We are running out of supplies, maybe we can find some there," he said to us.

He got up and went with the map to find the passage out of Harran. I stayed with Lena while she worked to heal this man's injuries.


	17. Chapter 17

Lena stayed kneeling over the injured man and tried to heal his wounds. His condition was worsening. He was developing a cough. Only antibiotics would suffice and there was not a single pill left. I do have a secret. I do have antibiotics. However, I have one small bottle with only a few doses for myself.

Unfortunately, in these types of situations, you have to ensure your own survival even if it means some innocent people die. It's something that I still struggle to grip. I watched this human slip away from the living. Might not be a bad way to go, considering all of the other ways one can die out here.

I left Lena to care for the man. Crane radioed in a short while later. He said he had made it to the other side. The map was a success. In time, I would have to make the travel and gauge the situation farther out from the epicenter.

I made my way back to the bridge where the team was settling in. A few of them had gotten to work on analyzing the samples that were fresh from when I cleared the area out. There were plenty of recently dead infected that were perfect for sequencing DNA for a cure to the virus. When the supplies came, and they smuggled in the antizen, they gave me my own vials, three vials would last me around a year if I was infected. I do hope that I will not be infected.

Blake came out to the bridge with another guard for extra security during the night and day. We talked as we scanned the bridge and looked at the mounds of infected. "Better than any wall," Blake said. "We can't go that way if we need to escape, not with all of these people," I said to Blake. He nodded in agreement. "I guess we go over the side," Blake said with a smirk. "Yeah, that's the only way off right now," I answered him.

The sun rose east directly over the tower. We could still see the top two floors from where we were. I flipped my NVGs up on my helmet. I began the process of reconditioning my eyes to the sunlight. The shift of scientists changed. One group picked up where the others left off. It was then that I head the boats below us.

* * *

"Do you hear that," Blake said as he slowly looked over the side of the bridge. Small sea craft like the one I was brought in on were making a b line to the shore by the fishing village. I sighted in my Barrett rifle at the boats. "Are they you," Blake asked as he looked. "No, they have no identifying marks, looks like paramilitary," I answered. One of the villagers spotted them and he was immediately cut down. "Open up," I yelled to Blake and Alfie. I shot my sniper rifle and killed the person that opened fire. The others scrambled for cover. The guards in the fishing village also started shooting. As we cut down the intruders, I roped down off of the bridge using some rope that I had tied off the side of the bridge.

I landed on one of the rocks to the east of the village and used my M416 to pick off the remaining soldiers. I noticed that one had been wounded in the leg and I ran up to him and kicked his weapon away. "Someone get a doctor, I need this one alive," I yelled to the villagers. Two of them picked up the intruder and carried him into one of the fishing huts. Two people started to bandage him up.

"If you do not answer my questions, I will make sure you die today," I told him as I pulled out my knife. He remained silent. "Not talking is not smart for you," I said as I leaned in towards him. "Who sent you," I asked him. He remained silent. "Gursel, spread his fingers out," I told the chief of the fishing village. He held out the intruders hands and spread his fingers on a table. "Again, who sent you," I asked him. He remained silent. I turned to the ladies that were in the room. "Ladies, I have to ask you to leave, I don't want you seeing this," I told them. They left the building.

I rested the knife on the first knuckle of his index finger. "Just so we have an understanding, you and I are very much alike, we were both sent here to do a job, but see you are on the wrong side, I don't want to spill your guts out over this floor in front of these nice people, but I will," I told him as I lightly started to press down on his finger. He still remained quiet.

I raised the knife high and slammed down on his finger, severing it just above the nail. He grimaced with pain and began to scream loudly. "Holy shit," Gursel said to me.


End file.
